Ariana Grande, “National Security” Rhetoric, and Pentecost

Justin Bieber preached movingly, “God is good in the midst of the evil… He loves you, and he is here for you. I just want to take this moment to honor the people that were taken. We love you so much… Put both hands up to honor those people right now.”

[Ariana Grande performs for 50,000 in Manchester, UK two weeks after a terrorist attack at her concert there killed 23. (handout)]

The Ariana Grande Benefit Concert and the Catholic celebration of Pentecost have quite a bit in common. “Both are stories of people who witness brutal deaths but soon find the courage to proclaim the victory of life and love over fear and death. Both are stories of people who gather from different nations to hear a transformative message of hope in the wake of tragedy. More to the point, like the early apostles, the performers and attendees of the Manchester concert claim two basic beliefs: (1) death is not the end and, therefore, (2) we should have the courage to stand for mercy and peace even when it puts us in great danger.”